Neill: West Ham Deserved the Luck!

Former Blackburn Rovers star Lucas Neill claims his West Ham United side deserved the luck they had against Rovers during their 2-1 victory on Saturday.

Several days after the event I am still angered by the decision by the officials to have awarded the Hammered their second and ultimately decisive goal. Not only should it have been ruled out for the simple fact it didn't cross the line, but also the facts that a hand was used during the build up and Carlos Tevez was offside! How could the officials get a call so wrong on three counts? Some 'dodgy' calls (penalties, handballs etc.) are part of the game but there should be no excuse for goal line mistakes, technology is needed. It can decide potential make or break situations in seconds. Just you wait, let a World Cup, European Championship, Champions League or even FA Cup be decided this way and we'll have this technology before you can say goal line technology…

Anyway I digress, back to the Neill point. A Rovers player from August until the end of January during the current 2006-2007 season feels his Hammered side have been avoiding the luck 'all season' so they were due it on Saturday. Speaking in the Daily Telegraph Neill said:

"It is a long time since the boys have tasted victory. So it was a very happy dressing room at the end.

"Overall I thought we deserved it. The winning goal was obviously controversial, but the luck has been well and truly against us this season."

Neill was also very unhappy at the reception he received at Ewood Park, but what did he expect?

It makes you laugh doesn't it, a player has been with one club for most of the season then suddenly they become an expert on what has gone before with his new one after five minutes, I guess all players are guilty of this though. But how can Neill say the luck has been against'us' all season, maybe he was referring to Rovers after all…

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I disagree with Hughes Da Man almost entirely. I think West Ham have been unlucky and Neill does not have to have played at the club to realise that. Also I was dissapointed with the Blackburn fans as to the way they treated Neill. What he said was right - he served the club for five years and did not once complain to the media or anyone about Blackburn. Even after he said he was going to leave he still gave 100% and scored the winning goal against Nancy to keep Blackburn's UEFA Cup's hopes alive. Neill also admitted that West Ham's goal was not a goal. I do not understand what he has done wrong.

What the money grabbing descendant of a convict has done wrong in most Rovers fans eyes is simple. He lied to the fans! I said this, ad nauseum, at the time of the transfer, that had he been up front about his motives for wanting to move, while some fans would have still been miffed, most, IMO, wouldve said "ah well, can't blame him, hes been good for us, best of luck to him. The fact that he fed the fans a load of ********* along the lines of "improving as a player" and "playing at the highest levels" then signing for a relegation threatened, nay doomed club in West Ham, it kind of smacked of hypocrisy and deceit. He was upset that the fans gave him a barracking on his return? Grow somw skin and order it extra thick Lucas, becasue every time he returns, he is going to get "welcomed" by the blackburn end, mind you, its looking more and more definite that he will not be returning for a visit next season. As for the game, maybe they did deserve their little slice of luck but to give a dodgy penalty, then a goal that wasnt ever a goal, then to send a guy off for deliberate handball when he was clearly fouled immediatly prior suggests that there was more than luck afoot at Ewood, either total ineptitude or total conspiracy! I am not a conspiracy theorist, therefore, i know what I think! That answer your question Tom06? I thought so! You're welcome.

I've not seen a great deal of the Hammered but what I've seen they haven't been unlucky, merely poor! It's the 'us' and 'we've had bad luck all season' that makes me laugh, he's been there five minutes and suddenly he knows it all, but as I say all players are the same. As for his reception Neill got what he fully deserved it, he has NO WAY lived up to the promises he made that wanted him to move. How is a move to the Championship destined Hammered a move forward from a team who made the last 32 of Europe, are pushing for a top six place AND still in the FA Cup at the Semi Final stage? He wasn't a Liverpool, AC Milan, Barca etc. qwuality player so why not just admit that he wanted to move full stop his greedy Agent wanted more cash as did he and we accept it.

Lucas Neill is a fool and so is anyone else who believes that he moved for footballing reasons. If he had gone to Liverpool then all well and good, or any of the top four or Real or Barca... he went for money... end of.

its the way Neill had left the club, yeah he did a great job for 5yrs and or course if he hadnt lied about his resaon for joining West Ham he would have got a good reception on his rtn I cant understand why footballers ahev to state ' football reasons ' when moving clubs when it so obvious that its not the case - why cant they just say 'Here I got offered more money and cant not go! ' or something like that lol As for the stroke of luck, now i know they say it evens itself out but how that ' goal ' has not been wiped out is mind boggling, not just that it cost Rovers 2 points but when it allowed West Ham an unfair 3 points in there relegation battle, that could cost another club millions of pounds, maybe in the long run. Surley like rugby with try decisions it would take 3 seconds to get the rite decision

I'd rather play in a half filled stadium for a club going up rather than down. Think Neill's head was made a little too big by some over hyping. He'll be off WHEN the Hammered go down, he'll not hang around to help them back.

I take that point on board Larry but would that be the only motivating factor in wanting to leave? especially seeing as the club with the half empty stadium seem to be going places and are challenging on 4 fronts? I think not! Lucas Neill and his agent are liars, plain and simple.

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